Tyreke Evans has started all but 10 of the 257 games he’s appeared in through his first four NBA seasons.

Given the horrific state of affairs in Sacramento during Evans’ time there — a period where the team never won more than 28 regular season games — there weren’t a lot of other options. And let’s not forget, Evans was the Rookie of the Year in 2010, so there was a more than legitimate level of talent there that seemed worth developing.

Evans signed with the Pelicans this summer, after the Kings decided not to match the four-year, $44 million offer sheet. But New Orleans also picked up Jrue Holiday from the Sixers (who made the All-Star team last season), and they still have Eric Gordon in place, who should be ready to contribute meaningful minutes at the guard spot, as well.

Despite his status as a starter to this point, and perhaps due to his new team’s crowded backcourt situation, Evans is open exploring a sixth man role from day one in New Orleans.

Evans himself remains unsure about his role. He has spoken with [head coach Monty Williams] — who professes to love Evans’ game and, according to Evans, has been drawing up plays for him. But the Pelicans they have not addressed his role or the team’s specific plans for Evans.

He is aware of the Ginobili comparison, though.

“I haven’t talked to the coaches or anything like that but that’s what they’ve been saying,” Evans told Sporting News in a phone interview. “When the season starts, I don’t know how things will go. Whatever role I am playing, I am definitely looking forward to it. I am going to go out there and play hard and try to win games.”

Asked if he would have no problem coming off the bench for the Pelicans, Evans said, “Yeah, definitely. I have never been worried about where I am playing. I am just happy to be in the situation and that everything has been worked out.”

It’s good to hear Evans saying all the right things, and considering the contract he received, along with all the talent competing for minutes at his position, it also makes some sense.

The good news is that the Pelicans wouldn’t have gone out and gotten Evans if they didn’t feel there was a role for him in New Orleans — even if whatever that is has yet to be determined by the team’s head coach.

Brian Roberts was surprisingly productive for the Pelicans last year (when they were still called the Hornets), especially in the latter part of the season.

He was a capable scorer from the guard position, and was regularly the one name that would jump out at you when combing through the morning’s box scores late in the year when he was playing heavy minutes in the rotation.

But his contract isn’t guaranteed for next season, so Roberts has been trying to continue to make an impact with the team’s Summer League squad in Las Vegas. He hopes what he’s done has been enough to once again be added to the roster.

Backup point guard Brian Roberts hopes he did enough in summer league for the New Orleans Pelicans to pick up the option on his contract for this upcoming season that could increase his salary to $788,872 from last season’s $473,604.

“I thought I played pretty well,’’ Roberts said. “There were times when I didn’t play as well as I wanted to, but overall I thought I gave the effort when I was out there. Mainly, I wanted to show that I could run the team and get guys in the right positions.’’

He showed that much last season.

The problem for Roberts is the high volume of quality guards that the Pelicans brought to the team in the offseason. Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday are now in the fold, and let’s not forget about Eric Gordon, who is expected to be healthy enough to contribute meaningful minutes this season.

Add in the fact that Austin Rivers seems healthy and much-improved since suffering a broken hand that ultimately gave Roberts his chance, and despite his relative value, it may be tough for Roberts to catch on in New Orleans for a second straight season.

New Philadelphia GM Sam Hinkie is taking his time picking a coach for the Sixers. There was not one in place for the draft, not one for Summer League. He’s interviewing a handful of candidates, but there is no rush.

“I think that’s one of the silliest things that I’ve seen in sports in a long time,” Barkley said on Comcast SportsNet’s Friday edition of “Philly Sports Talk.” “I’m in Philly during the summer as you know, and I’m watching and reading every day — to not have a coach under contract by now, I think that’s a joke. I don’t know what they’re waiting on. You’re playing summer-league games, people need to know who’s in charge. They got players who are playing in the summer league, they got assistant coaches coaching the team. You just can’t bring somebody in, and him have instant credibility — he has to build rapport with the players.”

Where the Sixers are in their coaching search depends on whom you ask. Thy reportedly are interviewing Heat assistant David Fizdale, Hawks assistant Quin Snyder, Spurs assistant Brett Brown, and also Kenny Atkinson. Also Sixers assistant Michael Curry, who coached the Summer League team for Philly, is in the mix and may be the favorite.

Philly has pursued a path of getting bad to get good — they traded away All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday for the potential of Nerlens Noel. They are going the full “woeful for Wiggins” route to get a good pick in the expectedly very deep 2014 draft. Plus they will have cap room. It’s a good strategy if it works, but there are a number of teams going to go that route next season (the second half of the next season is going to be “Tankapaloza”). That strategy of being bad also buys Hinkie a few years to find some players; he doesn’t have to win now because he got ownership to buy into this plan when they hired him.

Because of that strategy the certainly had more time to get a coach in place, but it’s about time.

Chicago’s Taj Gibson’s blend of size and athleticism makes him an interesting fit for what Team USA likes to do — press on defense, create turnovers then get out and run. Play to your strengths, and with the USA that is the level and depth of athleticism.

Kawhi Leonard also begged off the camp, saying he wanted to recover from a long season that had him playing in the NBA Finals. In his place Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was invited.

The four-day camp is a chance for Team USA to workout, get a look at and install a little offense with guys who could get a Team USA invite to the World Championships next summer in Madrid or maybe the Rio Olympics in three years.

LaMarcus Aldridge has two years left on his contract, which will pay the 27-year-old All Star forward $30.4 million.

But there have been all kinds of rumblings about him wanting out of the Pacific Northwest, which puts Portland GM Neil Olshey in the same position the Jazz front office was with Deron Williams (and Denver with Carmelo Anthony) — do you trade him soon, closer to the trade deadline in 2015, or not trade him at all.

According to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation, the meeting was described as being productive with both sides focused on doing what’s best for both parties….

Prospective teams holding the rights to Joakim Noah, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Al Horford and Anthony Davis, as of now, have declined to involve their franchise players in any potential deals for Aldridge, a league source told CSNNW.com.

There is no kind of deal that is close (although Aldridge’s name has come up in some rumors lately). The Blazers are not just going to trade Aldridge for picks, they want quality back. And as of right now they may not initiate calls.

Aldridge averaged 21.1 points and 9.1 rebounds a game last season, with a PER of 20.4. He is one of the best power forwards in the game right now.

If Portland realizes they are not going to be able to re-sign him when he is a free agent in the summer of 2015 they will be looking to move him. But there is no pressure to do it right now, they can listen to offers that come in and put in him trade packages for the next year. They can be patient and wait for a deal they like.

Which means expect Aldridge back in Portland this fall, playing well for the Blazers as they head into next season with Damian Lillard. But don’t be shocked if Aldridge’s name comes up in trade talks closer to the deadline and next summer.